People typically have one eye that is dominant. The dominant eye is the preferred eye that controls the visual system. Proper alignment of the eyes has a significant effect on the ability of a person to tolerate and to adapt to new glasses, contact lenses, monovision, lens implants, laser vision correction and other eye surgery. Eye dominance detection is extremely important in successful monovision, contact lenses, eyeglasses and eye surgery. Detecting the correct dominant eye can make a difference in obtaining a successful outcome and having a satisfied patient. It can also help explain why a patient is having difficulty with their vision.
Eye surgeons often desire to perform surgery on the non-dominant eye first to allow for a smoother neuroadaptation. With monovision situations, the non-dominant eye is usually preferred as the near vision eye. Surgical situations being more permanent, it can be of paramount importance to know the correct dominant eye in the preoperative stage. This can increase acceptance of the visual experience and even increase safety by improving visual performance and reoperations. Maximizing the ability of the dominant eye and optimizing binocular performance with the non-dominant eye may affect a person's ability to use tools, a person's coordination, aiming at a target, playing a musical instrument, driving a car, and other activities requiring synchronization of eye and hand movements involving daily life. Because of the increasingly availability of complex eyewear, surgery and implanted devices, it is desirable to have simple, rapid methods to determine the dominant eye of an individual. The knowledge of eye dominance is important and has widespread implications and significance.
What is needed is a simple handheld device and method for determining a person's dominant eye.